The track at Ellersllie today was as deep and testing a bog as perhaps ever seen and the times all day were absurdly slow. This track is dreadful when it gets like this and runners in big numbers every race walked home beaten out of sight or never even competed. Eight of the fourteen runners in the first race pulled up with one or two fences to go when exhausted and barely able to life their hooves out of the Ellerslie sludge. It was a painful days racing and so many runners were spent across the top let alone the run home. This Prestige Hurdle event over 4190m saw eleven runners line up and five never finished with one falling and the rest pulling up spent either across the top or two fences from home. The pace was not strong as expected on a bog like this and the best mudlark ended up winning the race in Zedeedudadeeko at $24 after he settled eighth and then moved up fourth a lap out. The 9yo was the only runner jogging near the home turn and took over upon straightening before swimming right away to win by ten and a half lengths in 6:12.45, the slowest time in a generation. Zedeedudadeeko had only raced clockwise once before and it came here when a distant fourth on the flat but he outstayed and outslogged them today to record his sixth win from forty-one starts. Stormin Norman, which had been struggling in Australia, has since coming back to New Zealand found it much easier with a win and now this Prestige second. The 10yo got back but improved past the stoppers before the home turn to reach fourth and then kept coming to get second 100m out. Kipkeino finished an honest third after sitting back the inner then working off and moving into third down the backstraight with the 10yo trying hard thereafter. The favourite Monarch Chimes was unbeaten as a hurdler coming into this but the extra distance and bottomless track found him out when a distant fourth at the line. Raisafuasho, which ran a massive second in this last year settled down last then started to pick off the strugglers and moved into seventh across the top. He was still running on when fifth at the line albeit beaten over sixteen lengths. The 10yo had won a Prestige Hurdle here over 3350m in June only to be sensationally disqualified for a positive test. The Shackler was the only other runner to finish and walked over the line in sixth beaten over fifty lengths. This race saw the trifecta of old swimmers and stayers and the winner Zedeedudadeeko was superior in such atrocious footing over this extreme trip for hurdlers. This is probably not a fair guide such was the appalling nature of the track and the colossal exhaustion it caused for so many and so far from home.